Without limiting the scope of the present invention, its background will be described in relation to a portable torque measurement and notification system and method of using same, as an example.
In drilling for oil and gas it is common practice to couple a plurality of tubular members together to produce extended tubular strings, work strings, drillstrings, pipe strings, tubulars, pipe, tool strings, etc. Tubular members typically have tapered threaded ends or connectors that are joined together to form a joint between adjacent tubular members. These tapered threaded connectors must be rotated or coupled together using tools that are capable of applying sufficient torque to one adjacent tubular member while oftentimes the other adjacent tubular member is held substantially rotationally, stationary. To ensure that the shoulders of a joint are butted together properly, it is desirable to torque the joint according to manufacturer's specifications. It is common to refer to the torque required to properly joint together adjacent tubular members as “make-up torque.” There are several known methods and tools for applying make-up torque to tubular members.
In one method, the wrench or tool utilized to provide the make-up torque to the tubular members is generally known as pipe tongs. Pipe tongs typically include a set of articulated jaws containing teeth or dies for securely gripping the outer surfaces or diameter of the tubular members. In this method, a first pipe tong is gripped to a tubular member and a second pipe tong is gripped to an adjacent tubular member. By applying force to the pipe tong such that the handles of each pipe tong are forced towards each other a torque is applied to the tubular member. In one aspect, the force may be applied by using a “come-a-long” to the point where an operator determines a “sufficient” amount of torque has been applied to the two tubular members sufficient to meet the manufacturer's recommended torque setting; the sufficiency determination being somewhat arbitrary depending on the operator. Thus, it is oftentimes difficult to apply precisely the manufacturer's recommended make-up torque using this method. In addition, this method may be dangerous in light of the difficulty in controlling the force exerted by the come-a-long in reaching a pre-determined make-up torque. Such lack of control may cause the pipe tongs to fail during operation. Also, conventional pipe tongs tend to be heavy tools and operating them in the field, overhead, and the like further causes dangerous situations for a user.
Additionally, larger pipe tongs used in making up larger diameter tubular members out in the field are substantially larger tools and may weigh a significant amount. Further, oftentimes these pipe tongs may need to be operated moderate distances off of the ground or rig floor. Operating these larger, heavier pipe tongs in these environments may create additional dangers for an operator.
Another method is to apply make-up torque to tubular members with what are commonly known as “power tongs.” Power tongs are large, expensive, complex pieces of equipment that include hydraulically operated jaws that are disposed in a housing. Tubular members that are to be joined are raised and lowered through the housing of the power tongs to present the tubular members to a couple of sets of jaws that grip the tubular members. One set of jaws grips and holds one of the tubular member while another set of jaws grips and rotates the other tubular member. To determine the magnitude of torque applied by the power tongs, the hydraulic pressure that is applied to the rotating set of jaws is monitored and the pressure readings are converted into engineering torque units, such as lb·ft, N·m, ft·lb, etc.
Power tongs require substantial structural frame members and generally are moved on tracks disposed on the floor or rig floor. Because they are large and require tracks to be moved about, they tend to be very expensive and not portable.